It was one of the most emotional scenes on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! so far. Lisa Riley, best known for playing Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale, comforted Jack Osbourne as he opened up about the loss of his father, Ozzy Osbourne. Lisa shared her own heartbreak too—her mother Cath died from cancer in 2012.

For Emmerdale co-star Dominic Brunt, who plays Lisa’s on-screen husband Paddy Kirk, that caring side of Lisa came as no surprise.

“That moment with Jack really showed the real Lisa,” he told the Mirror. “She spots things others miss. She’s incredibly empathetic. As soon as she sat with him, I thought, ‘this will be something special.’ Both of them have experienced major loss. I don’t think Lisa will ever fully come to terms with losing her mum.”

Before entering the jungle, Lisa had said she hoped to make her late mother proud. “I feel like it’s my mum in heaven giving me the go-ahead,” she had shared. “‘Knock them dead and have fun,’ she would say.”

Dominic Was One of the First to Know

Lisa told very few people she was going into the jungle—but Dominic was one of them. In fact, aside from her partner, he was the only one she confided in.

“She told me months before the line-up was announced,” Dominic revealed. “She rang me on set, asked what I thought. I said, ‘You’d be brilliant.’ Later, she admitted she was actually doing it.”

Dominic was touched to be trusted with the secret.

“We’ve been close since 1997, but I was still flattered. To be one of only two people she told—it meant a lot.”

Keeping it under wraps wasn’t easy, especially on a busy soap set. “We work in a place where secrets don’t last long,” he laughed. “But I knew I had to keep this one.”

“Full Mandy Dingle”? Not Quite

Before entering the camp, Lisa joked she might “go full Mandy Dingle” if she got cranky. But Dominic doesn’t expect any fireworks.

“She’s not moody,” he explained. “Even when she’s tired, she just goes quiet. That’s the only sign you’ll see.”

He’s enjoyed watching her adjust to camp life and says her honesty is what makes her stand out.

“She’s getting stronger every day. She’s always herself—no acting, no showing off. She listens more than she talks. That’s who she is.”

The Funny, Thoughtful Lisa

Lisa has already shown flashes of humor—from wetting herself after a trial to joking about fancying Ant. But Dominic says that’s just Lisa being Lisa.

“We get that all day long on set,” he said. “She’s always like that.”

What he really wants is for people to see her heart.

“She’s genuine. She listens. She cares. She’s kind—one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I hope that comes across to viewers.”

Would Dominic Join the Jungle Too?

Don’t hold your breath. When asked if he’d ever do the show, Dominic didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely not,” he laughed. “I don’t have that in me. I’d sit quietly in the corner, shy, not saying much—and I’d be the first voted off.”

Can Lisa Win?

Dominic thinks Lisa stands a real chance at becoming Queen of the Jungle.

“She’s up against tough competition—Aitch and Angry Ginge are clearly favorites. But you never know. I hope she does it. I’m voting for her. Everyone at work is voting for her too.”